About the Discipline of Sleep Medicine
Since the 1970s, our academic faculty have been dedicated to researching the mechanism and function of sleep, the pathophysiology of sleep disorders and their treatment, the development of tools and techniques for monitoring sleep, and have been leaders in the professional development of the field of clinical sleep medicine in Australia and internationally.
Such contributions include the invention of positive pressure treatment for sleep-related breathing disorders, elucidation of the endocrine and metabolic consequences of sleep-disordered breathing and the neurobiology of sleep loss, early recognition of the link of sleep disorders with cardiovascular diseases, delineation of fundamental mechanisms of upper airway pathophysiology in sleep apnea, recognition and development of the role of oral appliances in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea, pioneering work and development of the field of paediatric sleep medicine, and modelling of sleep processes and circadian biology.
This rich history of achievement and excellent mentorship has vastly expanded this interdisciplinary field across the University, resulting in the establishment of a separate Discipline of Sleep Medicine by The Faculty of Medicine. A core activity of the Discipline is to coordinate and enhance sleep research and education across the University and its affiliated Hospitals and Institutes.